Accurately obtaining distributor inventory is crucial for brand owners. If distributor inventory is too high, they cannot purchase from the brand owner, which not only affects the brand owner's normal sales rhythm but also seriously impacts the distributor's survival. Therefore, brand owners want to understand distributor inventory turnover to take necessary measures in advance to accelerate channel inventory turnover. However, uncontrollable factors on the distributor side may prevent brand owners from effectively obtaining inventory data, making accurate acquisition a thorny problem. To solve the challenge of accurately obtaining distributor inventory, we visited over a hundred brand owners and distributors and ultimately summarized three methods currently used by brand owners. 01 Method 1: Install plugins in distributor ERP systems to periodically obtain inventory Most distributors in the market now use inventory management systems to manage inventory data. Brand owners often request inventory data from distributors, which may affect the distributors' own business, so distributors are reluctant to cooperate. Can inventory data be obtained without affecting distributor operations? The plugin approach fits this idea. Brand owners can obtain distributor inventory data without affecting distributor operations, solving the issue of distributor non-cooperation. However, the plugin method still has several drawbacks: First, the cost of plugins is high, and dedicated personnel are needed for maintenance, making it expensive overall; second, plugins are not stable enough and prone to failures, with data stored only locally and not in the cloud, affecting inventory data; third, after using plugins, differences in product names or units entered may lead to extremely high costs for data cleaning and matching when generating channel inventory reports. 02 Method 2: Obtain inventory through periodic distributor stocktakes Brand owners employ many sales representatives, one of whose tasks is to regularly visit distributors. To reduce unnecessary intermediate steps, brand owners obtain data by having sales representatives periodically count distributor inventory. This method is currently adopted by most brand owners. The important reason brand owners favor this method is: their own sales representatives are more controllable, and regular physical counts improve data authenticity; the drawbacks are also obvious: sales representatives cannot count inventory every day, so real-time accuracy is insufficient, and they cannot obtain inventory data immediately; also, it is necessary to effectively avoid data falsification by sales representatives due to performance evaluations. 03 Method 3: Digitize distributor purchases and sales to automatically calculate real-time inventory The above two methods directly extract inventory data but do not understand the process of inventory changes, so many data points may have deviations. If a complete purchase-sale-inventory data chain can be built, distributor inventory visualization can be achieved. The prerequisite is to master both distributor purchase data and sales data, subtract the two to derive inventory, and supplement with periodic stocktakes by sales representatives for secondary verification. If there is a significant discrepancy, problems can be resolved promptly. The key necessary condition for implementing this solution is: distributors are willing to use the manufacturer's system. Currently, some leading FMCG companies have begun using such systems, such as top companies in milk powder, tires, and automobiles. Qince's purchase-sale-inventory system has unique advantages: First, it is easy to operate, requires no plugin installation, has high system stability, and can be mastered in a short time; second, it is feature-rich, automatically calculating distributor purchase and sales data, supporting online real-time inventory with high timeliness; third, it enables scientific decision-making, as the integrated system breaks down data silos, ensuring close connections between data, error-free decisions, and more scientific management. It eliminates problems such as capital tie-up, turnover difficulties, product expiration, and severe losses caused by inventory, genuinely helping distributors reduce inventory pressure and lower inventory costs. Obtaining distributor inventory is an ongoing process, and different distributors are suited to different methods. Brand owners need to consider actual conditions, such as product strength, relationship harmony with distributors, and digital management capabilities, to choose the appropriate solution. Scan the QR code to register for Qince and experience it immediately